RZA Joins Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” Cast

Quentin Tarantino is reaching out to a familiar face for a part in “Django Unchained,” tapping his “Kill Bill” composer RZA for a supporting role in the Weinstein Company’s spaghetti Western. RZA will play Thaddeus, a violent slave working on a Mississippi plantation.

Additionally, “Frozen River” star Misty Upham has been cast as a trading post-bar owner named Minnie.

Best known as the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA has spent the last several years building his feature resume and studying top-tier directors, with appearances in Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster,” Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” Todd Phillips’ “Due Date” and Paul Haggis’ “The Next Three Days.” Thesp, who recently wrapped production on Paramount’s “G.I. Joe 2,” will soon be seen in “A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas.” RZA will also join David Duchovny on the upcoming season of Showtime’s “Californication.”